Forest Swords DJ-Kicks

!K7 are pleased to announce Forest Swords as the next curator of the ever
essential DJ-Kicks series. Following acclaimed albums on Ninja Tune and
Tri Angle, soundtrack and installation work, and remixes of the likes of
Bjork, Matthew Barnes aka Forest Swords has curated a 25-track compilation
that draws a line between past inspirations and his current peers.
"During all of the nights that shaped me as a music fan there wasn't really
a focus on DJing etiquette; sticking to genres, perfect transitions – it was
all pretty DIY and purely like having someone cook up their personal
mixtape in front of you, to surprise you and to explore different sounds"
says Barnes. "That kind of rough-around-the-edges approach is so much
more exciting to me than something sterile and seamless and I wanted to
carry that spirit into this compilation."
Chosen over the course of a few weeks in winter 2018, the mixed version
was cut on Barnes' laptop during a wintery cross-country train journey.
Like much of his own output, his DJ-Kicks skirts around pristine electronics
and embraces more organic textures: 80s post punk (Anna Domino,
Dead Can Dance), classic 90s British electronica (Orbital, Mira Calix), and
smokey digi-dub (Rhythm & Sound), all rub up alongside some of the
most forward-facing producers working today (Demdike Stare, Laurel
Halo, Fis).
The compilation sifts through rhythms, shifting speeds and emotions: from
pop icon Neneh Cherry's primal thudding to the zombified throb of
exclusive Forest Swords track 'Crow' via Deena Abdelwaheed's clattering
deconstructions to the euphoric two-step of Djrum. It's a collection of
tracks that feels as restlessly curious and weighty as Barnes' own work.